Shortly after Elon Musk re-opened Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California in defiance of local shutdown orders in Alameda County, the outspoken chief executive has received support from none other than President Donald Trump.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Trump wrote that “California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!” Musk quickly responded to the tweet, writing “Thank you!”
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Trump isn’t the only official to throw their support behind Musk. On Monday, Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said “California should prioritize doing whatever they need to do to solve those health issues so that he can open quickly and safely, or they’re going to find, as he’s threatened, he’s moving his production to a different state,” The Hill reports.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Tesla’s Fremont facility resumed production over the weekend, building approximately 200 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles across Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, Musk confirmed Tesla was indeed resuming production and said that “If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.”
It is understood that prior to Musk making the decision to resume production, the electric automaker had been engaging with Alameda County officials to develop and implement a safety plan to allow the factory to reopen.
Two workers who have returned to the plant told Auto News that they were required to watch a safety training video. In addition, Tesla handed out masks to employees and has put up plexiglass stations in the break room. There are also plastic curtains hanging from the ceiling as barriers to keep workers separated from each other. Tesla is also taking the temperature of employees with thermal scanners.
Thank you!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2020